Mercedes F1 launch: Wolff taking nothing for granted ahead of new season

The automobile done its first laps at Silverstone on Wednesday with Valtteri Bottas on the help of the wheel

Mercedes are “taking nothing as a correct” this season, says team major Toto Wolff.

The team, led by 5-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, maintain received the previous 5 constructors’ championships.

Speaking on the initiate of Mercedes’ 2019 car, the AMG F1 W10 EQ Vitality+, Wolff stated: “Every team can maintain a shot on the title and we’re seeing all of them as a doable menace.

“There is utterly no feeling of entitlement to be on the front.”

He added: “The regulations maintain modified somewhat seriously.

“We have to launch from scratch. We have to speak ourselves all yet again – in opposition to our absorb expectations and in opposition to our competitors.”

The season begins in Melbourne on 17 March. Briton Hamilton, who received his fifth world title final year, will lead Mercedes all yet again alongside Valtteri Bottas for the third season.

“2018 became once a huge year, nonetheless I feel cherish 2019 will be even better,” Hamilton stated. “I are searching for to manufacture extra. I are searching for to continue to preserve pushing.”

What has modified with the contemporary car?

Work on the revamped Mercedes started 16 months ago, forward of the top of the 2017 season.

There is an improved power unit and the automobile has been designed spherical contemporary regulations aimed at making the racing closer by lowering the disruption precipitated to the aerodynamics of a car following one other.

The automobile has a identical silver livery and branding to final year nonetheless has modified seriously beneath the pores and skin

“Law changes are every opportunity and menace,” stated technical director James Allison.

“They are an opportunity because your complete primitive assumptions about what you’ll want to have to be snappy are swept away and, within the occasion that it’s doubtless you’ll presumably also be rapid of foot and lovely in going thru that, that it’s doubtless you’ll fabricate better than your complete other groups which are tackling the associated change.

“They are a menace because within the occasion that it’s doubtless you’ll presumably also be no longer as lovely and also you did no longer explore the correct technique to manufacture the all these contemporary regulations, then you are going to indisputably suffer within the arriving season.

“We have labored traumatic on the suspension and aerodynamic traits to bid a car that will be worthy kinder to its tyres.”

Lewis Hamilton has been the dominant prefer within the game for the final replace of years

What has Hamilton been up to?

Hamilton, 34, has kept a rather low profile over the off-season, spending time within the United States, where he attended the Tidy Bowl this month.

“I had a huge Christmas with my family and then I went snowmobiling, I went skiing, I went surfing with Kelly Slater, which became once improbable,” he stated.

“I fully switched off from racing for a while, searching for to point of curiosity and re-centre myself and practicing traumatic for the contemporary season.”

Wolff added: “After we met after the iciness break, Lewis became once refreshed. He’s extremely hungry and wishes to launch racing all yet again.”